Miracles
by Carmelle
Summary: Nothing prepared him for this, the shocking confession from Katniss Everdeen. It wasn't possible. It was a miracle. It just wasn't his miracle. Everlark.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm not sure what this story is going to be yet. Either two/three shot or multi-chap. Give me your opinions.**

_**Anyway, you might want to read this**__**, **_

**One, the story is in Peeta's POV in third person. I want to know if you guys think I should make in hop around or not. **

**Glimmer, Cato, Clove, and Marvel all are referred to by their actors last names. You may have seen this before but it's like this:**

**Glimmer Rambin**

**Cato Ludwig**

**Marvel Quaid**

**Clove Fuhrman**

**To avoid confusion, I also must tell you that Delly Cartwright is a multi-millionaire who works as Haymitch's secretary. The only one who knows is Haymitch. NO one else. It is later revealed in the story, but, I need to strain the fact that on Haymitch knows.**

**Also, their agency is named P.E.R.L. It doesn't stand for anything. It's just a play on the pearl Peeta gives Katniss in **_**Catching FIre**_**. If you want, in your review or PM, you can give me an idea of what you think it should stand for.**

**And, Gale will not alway be a giant douche. He's just like that for the time being. Oh, and for Gale fans, this story, is Everlark. No Galeniss.**

**Johanna is Haymitch's niece too. You know, I just **_**have to**_ **make it more confusing.**

**And LASTLY, if any concepts seem familiar, it's because this story is very loosely based off of the TV show **_**ARCHER.**_

_**Follow, favorite, and review. And criticism is welcome.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games Trilogy or any concepts from the TV show Archer.**_

_**-RC**_

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><p><em>Peeta's Point of View<em>

He smiled brilliantly as he entered building. Each step was jovial. The bounce that followed him into the elevator was immediately sucked away upon entry. Her grey eyes glared at him, appearing more agitated than normal as she studied him. Her firm gaze held as he attempted to ignore the overwhelming grief that always swallowed him up upon sight of her. She was dressed in all black and her skin glistened with fresh sweat. He saw as she fidgeted, attempted to cover her bare stomach from his piercing gaze. In the end, she just crossed her arms in front of her sports-bra clad chest and huffed. Each floor they passed was agony. Lucky for him, he got off a floor before her, into their main offices. It was plain, he suspected because they had to keep up the facade of boring office. His mind lingered on her as he walked through the cubicles. His office was just up ahead but he sighed, remembering that he had to stop somewhere first. Taking a sharp left, and then a straight way to the still unmarked door, he prepared himself for the ghastly feat.

"Mellark. Nice of you to finally show up." The man remarked gruffly. His steely gaze didn't really affect him anymore. He had graduated top of his class but it didn't matter because just two years later, Peeta became the highest ranking in the building. He definitely loathed him for having outscored him every test since he had joined P.E.R.L. To top it all off, he'd also been in a long term relationship with the guy's best friend. Who he was very much in love with, (just to mention).

"Sir." _Also, Hawthorne was technically his boss._ He smiled politely, never giving him the satisfaction of knowing how much resentment he held inside. "You asked for me?" He knew that this was just another 'berating, with underlying shit about how you'd been screwing the woman who I'd claimed as mine but still refuses to give me the light of day because she only sees me as some brother-type-friend who has too many anger problems' conversation.

"Well," he started in his ridiculously high pitch insinuating voice, "I was going through the monthly budget that Beetee handed into me this morning… And it says your company assigned card was used to purchase a few personal items on your last mission." Oh, crap. He didn't do that. He knew who had though. What the hell was he supposed to do? Blame it on someone else? As if, he would never feed Johanna to the shark. The Shark is what the people around the office called Hawthorne behind his back.

"Um…" he was at a loss for words, "I'm not sure what charges I could've bought in Moscow." he cringed at the hint of annoyance he could hear in his own voice. His resolve was cracking.

"It says here that it was mostly alcohol." He inwardly groaned. I guess being the niece of the head of the agency had it's perks. Oh, Johanna…

"I can assure you sir, I purchased no such thing." He calmly replied.

"Well…" Once again,ugh, with _the voice_, "you're assurance doesn't fix the problem. It was on your card, you pay it out of pocket." Peeta's teeth grinded and his body tensed.

"Of course, sir." He was really starting to hate his obedient nature.

"Dismissed." Gale shook his head in satisfaction and waved him away before going back to his paperwork. Ever since the guy had gotten his promotion, he'd been so tight stung. It used to be, Hawthorne this and Gale yada yada yada. Now it was _sir_. No if's, and's, or but's.

Despite his mood however, the blonde spared another smile for the man's poor secretary. Madge gave him an apologetic look as soon as the door opened and he exited. He shrugged subtly and greeted her for the morning. His mood slowly returned as more faces met and talked with him. When he finally got into his office he was disappointed at it's unfamiliarity. Albeit, it'd only been a week since he'd gotten the position. He wanted something about this to feel right. He wasn't necessarily second guessing his decision to head this department, he just liked his old job.

His attempts to make it feel like home were all lacking in success. It was too big. He'd sometime laugh at the irony that his office was bigger than Hawthorne's. He only still outranked him because of the 2 year head start, Peeta would catch up eventually. He sat in the too comfortable- if that was even a thing- office chair and picked up the manila folder.

As he read through his next assignment he sighed sharply. He was head but 2nd was none other than Katniss Everdeen. He began to get restless sitting there so he decided to go down to the shooting range. Along the way, many of his coworkers waved and he, being you know- _himself, _had to at least courtesy-wave back. They all really loved him. It was 'just his nature' as _she_ used to say. The unending goodness.

They had three sub basements. One for the range, inventory, and -of course- testing. When the light above the doors dinged, he exited the car and was enveloped with the smell of gunpowder. He spotted her again, moments later, seemingly unafraid. Fierce. Defiant. Rebellious.

Her nose crinkled as she focused on the target. She was dressed in black still, from practice. As much as he tried to not think about her and draw away, his eyes were attached to her figure. She didn't look pleased. Anger didn't really place it. She seemed... upset almost. He could barely see her eyes under the protective wear but from what he could tell, she was… no way… crying?

If there was one fact on this planet that Peeta believed to be undoubtedly true, it was that Katniss Everdeen didn't cry. Not even under the most stressful and overwhelming situations.

He saw now as she took a step back that her shoulders shook- only just- and he could hear her small whimpers. Her shallow even breathing was soon broken as a sob burst through her resolve. He saw her quickly run off, not ever noticing his presence.

He was stunned to say the least. He wasn't sure what to do. So, he just picked up a gun. It was weirdly soothing. His coping mechanism. Well, apparently both of their coping mechanisms. He brain raced for something to comfort her. He'd been having to suppress many of these urges the past year. He still very much cared about her. But he didn't know why he'd still thought about these things a year after they broke up, or why it was so hard to be around her, or why when Gale Hawthorne threw his arm around her it made his blood boil. Nothing made sense when she was near. He shook his head and focused on the target as he geared up to shoot. He suddenly felt stuffed up so he set the arms piece down and began unfastening his suit jacket. After putting the article of clothing in a safe place, he rolled up the sleeves of his white button up. He sighed as the refreshing air encased his skin and he lined up to shoot again. He hands didn't shake, they weren't sweaty… he was never nervous. As he should be. He hit the target with every pull of the trigger, and was so caught up in the simple act that he didn't hear her tread in. Not too unlike the way she hadn't heard him come in the few minutes prior.

Her head cocked to the side as she leaned against the door frame and watched the way his muscles pulled and stretched under his thin shirt. Or the way he smiled, ever so slightly when he hit his target. She'd grin right along with him. But soon, her face fell as if something dawned on her and she shuffled away, leaving him behind.

When he was done, about an hour later, he made his way back to the offices. Their meeting was going to be starting in about 5 minutes, so he stopped by his office for the files and made his way to their grey, boring conference room.

"Okay, guys." He started, looking around the room. Everyone was here. "I'm going to begin today with separating you guys by teams. Odair, Cresta, Blight, and Mason, you all are assigned to the bomb threat on a natural gas pipeline down in Florida." They were all fairly happy about that. It seemed Director Abernathy had a special hell place in his mind for Mellark. Finnick went up and grabbed the file. "Next, we have Ludwig, Quaid, Fuhrman, and Rambin. You guys have the Cartwright Manor heirloom to get back from some jewel thief up in Canada." No one in that group was really happy with him, not that it was his fault, he didn't choose the groupings. If he did, he certainly wouldn't have put himself with her. "And lastly, Me, Hawthorne, and Everdeen on the nerve gas bomb lost off the coast of Bermuda." And he looked out upon his peers, all giving his a solemn look and dismissed them. Then, as if planned, the 3 of them ran to the elevator and pushed the up button. Hawthorne, groaned waiting and as soon as it dinged, signifying that it was on their floor, he hopped in. He really had no patience. Katniss refused to look at either of them, favoring her shoes. And Peeta just sat calmly and patiently.

As they waited, each fidgeting in a particular way, Peeta cleared his throat. "Everyone is going to 5, yes?" They nodded in affirmation and not another word was spoken. The short ride was agony and they all tumbled out of the car, and walked with a purpose toward his door. "I need to speak with Director Abernathy."

The bubbly strawberry blonde spoke, "Oh, you must be his 9 O'clock." she smiled brightly and typed something into her computer.

"Well, we didn't actually make appointments, Delly." He smiled warily.

"No, no, no. Abernathy made it himself. It says here Everdeen and Mellark." Were they really that predictable? "I don't have a Hawthorne though." She turned her attention to Gale, "Would you like to make an appointment?"

Gale huffed and shook his head, opting to just sit out and sulk. So, just the two of them, they stalked into his office and sat before his desk. "Sir-" Peeta started, not being able to finish.

"No." They both looked confused as Haymitch cut him off. "I will not switch your partners. I did this for a reason." God, yes, they really were that predictable.

"What possible reason could you have for doing this?!" Katniss burst, furious.

He held out a hand, telling her to calm down. "You guys need to patch this up. I know, yes, you broke up blah blah blah… But you're two of my best agents that I need to work together. So, regardless of your personal relationship, you must work together at some point. It's been a damn year." He had to him that, it had been a year. "And I noticed how in the past month, you guys haven't even made eye contact. Now, that just won't do. So you have to do this, on my orders." Peeta nodded sadly, upset but not going to speak back to his superior.

"No." Came the protest from the woman beside him. "At least give us Johanna too." Haymitch contemplated this a moment, and ended up agreeing, to Peeta's surprise. His chest still felt tight, but Jo did alleviate that stress just a tad. So, after another tormenting ride, they were finally able to get to work, just with Jo on their team as well.

"Alright guys, so in the file, it says that Abernathy lined up an outside contractor to fly us out there." Peeta stated, briefing mostly Johanna but the rest of the group too.

"Yeah, yeah. We know Mellark." Came Gale's snarky reply.

"Shut up dumbass, he wasn't talking to you." Johanna growled, knowing how patronizing the guy could be. He rolled his eyes but kept quiet the ride down to the parking lot. When they exited he headed for their company issued black SUV.

"Okay…" He continued, "but the file doesn't say who it is, which I find a tad strange." Johanna nodded along and Katniss continued keeping silent. "And also, the bomb was lost by Cartwright Enterprises. I just thought I'd mention because-"

"How is this relevant?" Gale cut off again.

This time Katniss spoke up, "Gale. Stop."

"Because," he continued, "we have another case involving them in Canada." He flipped through the rest of the file quickly but one thing caught his eye. "Darius and… Delilah. Weird." His eyes widened even more at the photo of Darius they were provided with.

"What is?" Jo asks, genuinely interested.

"Abernathy's assistant looks a whole lot like this guy. And her name is Delly." He thinks a while and crosses to the driver's side of the car, opening the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Mellark… What are you doing?" He really hoped that Gale wasn't like this the entire mission.

"Getting in the car…" he stated, matter of factly. "What?"

"I'm driving."

"Okay. That's fine by me." Ugh, this never ending goodness was getting on his own nerves.

As he got in the back he heard Jo snicker, "See, Peeta here doesn't find it emasculating to sit in the back with dear old Johanna." she quipped at Gale, swinging an arm around her friend's shoulders. Hawthorne huffed and drove away.

Peeta payed no mind to his peers as he read and reread the file. Halfway to the airport, Katniss told Gale to pull over and jump out of the car, throwing up on the side out the road. He knew she could get car sick but it'd never been this bad. And she'd seemed fine all day. Health wise at least. He shrugged it off and a couple minutes later she came back in, after popping a couple of Zofran into her mouth. She met his concerned eyes only briefly before looking down and getting in her seat.

"Brainless? You alright?" Came Jo's worried question. She nodded and mumbled something about 'fucking car sickness'. Well he got one thing with her right.

Gale's gaze softened from the moment Katniss told him to pull over. He asked, "Do you need to skip out on this one?"

She glared at him and burst, "No Gale! I don't need to! And please stop giving Peeta hell for our break up! It's none of your business! And I broke up with him, not the other way around so stop acting like he's the bad guy! I fucking broke his heart so stop it!" Everyone in the car's eyes were wide as saucers. She calmed down after that and Gale's mouth didn't open until they got to the private airport. Even then she refused to look at anyone and just stomped out of the car.

Jo waited until Katniss was out of earshot before turning on the two men beside her, "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't even gotten to speak a word to her in over a month." He told her, saying like anything else but really, he was hurt about the fact.

Gale just shrugged. He seemed very shaken about Everdeen's outburst. Then he opened his mouth, "All I know is that she was fine on Friday but after her doctor's appointment on Saturday, something flipped and she's been going off like a bomb lately. I don't know what's wrong. I wish I could help her." he sighed. This was one good thing about Hawthorne, Peeta knew Gale would always a good friend to her, no matter the circumstances.

But the mention of appointments only brought up a much more difficult time in his life. He'd remember that conversation for the rest of his life, he'd presumed. After running the words through his mind over, and over, he'd committed them to memory.

"_Peeta-" she had just come home from the doctors, what was supposed to be a routine check up, "I need to speak with you." Throughout the years, he'd never seen her so vulnerable. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest from nerves. "So the doctors told me something today and…" It was clear she'd thought out how to tell him what she was about to say, "I just need to tell you why I'm leaving." the way she'd said that was the worst part. Her voice so filled with remorse. "They told me that I can't have kids." His heart skipped a beat. "They said it would take a miracle to get me pregnant." Tears pooled on her waterline, on the verge of falling. "I know we've never really talked about it," She sat beside him on their couch, head in her hands. "but, I know how much you want to be father. I know you'll be great at it." She sighed, her breath shaking. "And… you can't have that with me. I would be holding you back." He grabbed her in his arms, opting to stay silent. "I can't do that to you. It wouldn't be fair." Her cheeks were damp, as if she had been crying but in that moment, she refused to let a single tear slip though. "I want you to be able to have that with someone else. I want you to love someone else." His heart broke then, because he knew without a doubt, he could never change her mind. She was Katniss Everdeen. Stubborn. Motivated. _

_So, without protest from him, she stood up and gave him one last kiss. It was short and sweet and chaste. Her fingers ran through his hair and she pulled on the strands, grounding him to the moment. When they separated moments later, she looked into his eyes and told him one last time, "I love you. I always will."_

Now, a year later, he didn't think those words were true.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Next chapter! I just wanted to say, there will be an additional note at the end, to explain a few thing for ya. K, with out further ado, enjoy! Oh, and it's VERY LONG! At least for me to write, lol!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games Trilogy or any concepts from the TV show Archer.**_

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><p>It came as a surprise when Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and Johanna entered the seaplane and before them stood the redhead. Their mission was making less sense by the minute. He climbed the metal stairs and shook Darius Cartwright's hand as if nothing was wrong. But something certainly was. Well, the file did say that the bomb was owned by Cartwright Enterprises. So, he guessed that it wasn't all that strange that they were the contractor. Something still, just felt <em>off. <em>Katniss was still standoff-ish. Her grunt in greeting toward the smiling ginger gave made Peeta feel uneasy. Sure, she always anti social but had Gale really pissed her off so much that she'd be rude to a _Cartwright_? They were basically the founding fathers of Panem. She had some sense left didn't she? Why was she acting so strangely? Gale and Jo mostly stood back and let him deal with this unforeseen circumstance.

"Mr. Cartwright," his voice was as polite and proper as usual, "I must ask, why is it that you're escorting us to Bermuda?"

"Well, I'm the one that lost the bomb, aren't I?" His tone seemed nonchalant, maybe too much so. With this job, you had to be suspicious of everybody.

"I guess..." Mellark laughed right along and they all boarded the ostentatious plane. The thing had a mini bar for Christ's sake. It was ridiculous. Out of sight from everyone, he rolled his eyes at the man's obvious superiority complex. They all did their own thing for a while. Jo, of course, immediately flocked to the alcohol. Gale sat, alone and brooding. Katniss went to the bathroom. And he stood in the middle of the room speaking to Darius.

"Agent… Mellark is it?" He nodded in response, "Abernathy said much about you." This piqued his curiosity.

"Really?" It was pretty surprising given how much of a hard-ass he could be.

"Yes, he told me how he particularly put you on this case. I was very pleased when he told me of all your accomplishments." This was almost worrying him, how close he seemed to be with the director.

"How do you know the director?" He was being very nosey. It wasn't like him. But, he usually was an entirely different person when out on field. The look on Darius's face made him regret ever asking.

"Don't you know? I mean she's talked about you an awful lot." He just gave him a confused look and waited for him to continue, "Delilah- or ah, Delly. She's Abernathy's secretary. My sister." Well, he was right about that. Why wouldn't she tell him? They'd been on like five dates. Seriously, she was basically his girlfriend. She'd told him that her last name was Carmine. Jesus.

"Yeah, I definitely know Delly." He looked down and shook his head, disbelieving. "I just had no idea she was a Cartwright. I mean I've worked with her for years." He laughed and smiled, mentally forgiving her. "Why doesn't she tell anyone?"

"I didn't know she didn't." He seemed just as confused as he was. "That's actually something I wanted to discuss with you." Uh, oh. That didn't sound too good. "Has she been acting strangely at all? I mean, we talk but I don't know what actually goes on in her life."

It was a kind of odd question, at least weird at in a bit over-protective way. "Um, no, nothing that comes to mind. Just regular, sweet Delly."

A brief grimace formed on his face before he just smiled. "Good. That's nice to hear."

He continued to nod, the conversation turning a bit awkward. "Yeah… So, um what do you do with your time? I mean Delly works, for some reason. Anything in particular you do?" He felt very uncomfortable. Definitely not a pleasant conversation.

He smiled, what seemed to be the first genuine expressions he'd made since they first met, and began to talk (on and on) about the numerous charities he gave his money to. All Peeta could think about was how expensive they must be. It was 5 minutes before take off that he finally stopped. But the only reason was because Delly barged in, the angriest he'd ever seen her. She barged in and spared him a small smile before dragging him away, for what he'd assumed was a huge fight.

He'd ignored them and gladly sought out Johanna. She was behind the bar, fully enjoying herself and the many alcohols she was able to experiment with. She shoved some bluish-purple concoction in his face and laughed, "Drink this."

He raised his eyebrows and shook his head, "No thanks," He grabbed it from her and set it on the counter. "I'm not drinking at 11 in the morning."

She pouted, "Seriously. I made it specially for you. Please." Ugh, this was her specialty, being able to act as if she was the most innocent, baby faced girl in the world. She definitely wasn't, but her face was too much to resist. He picked up the glass and took a sip. It was nice, a bit sweet. "It's called Nightlock."

He burst, "As in the poisonous berry?!" She doubled over in laughter while he began to rinse out his mouth.

"No! No! I'm kidding, it was joke." He rolled his eyes and scowled. "Woah, you can actually get angry?" Another joke. At his expense. He decided it was a bit funny and forgave her immediately. "Are Mellarks even capable of holding grudges?" She laughed but he just stared off.

"You'd be surprised." It must've been something in his voice but after that, she stopped joking, knowing she was in uncharted territory. Everyone knew his family was off limits. The only person who really knew was... speak of the devil.

Katniss walked up to them and yawned. "Coffee?" She asked Jo and smiled.

Grateful for the change in conversation, Johanna laughed boisterously, whenever he saw her, she was always half drunk. "You betcha! And for you, handsome?" She directed her speech to him and he smiled, previous thoughts forgotten.

Peeta assumed she was having fun playing bartender so he played along, "I don't know, what do you suggest- or you know what, surprise me."

She almost jumped with excitement. And she wandered away, down the aisle, formulating a drink plan. just before she left though, she shouted back, "Close your eyes!" He, of course, complied.

Katniss broke her silence, "Peeta?" she asked carefully, quietly. He was so surprised that he was only able to hum in acknowledgement. She sighed softly and scooted closer to him, "Do you remember when… Like, we were, um, drinking and talking, actually- I mean two mont-" she abruptly stopped her mumbling and he felt another body sit beside him. "Nevermind." Katniss said quickly and all but ran away from him.

Jo quickly scurried back but by then Katniss had made her way to another side of the plane. She sighed quickly and pouted. "Awe! Where'd Brainless go?" She called to Hawthorne. "I have her coffee. And I added a little something extra, if you know what I mean. A plastered Brainless is the best Brainless."

"Yeah, it's been weeks since she's drank." He laughed, "You're so right. She's way more fun with alcohol running through her system." Peeta found his remark odd. He liked her just the way she was, nothing was wrong with her sober.

Then, the next second, a pair of lips grazed Peeta's ear, "Guess who?" He of course, knew but went along with her.

"Um… I'm not sure, can you give me a hint?" He could feel her smile against his cheek as she gave him a soft kiss. When she pulled back, she wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Well, I have blonde hair." He shook his head, pretending to be confused. "And blue eyes."

He kept acting to clueless, "I don't know."

He felt her move closer, and she whispered a hair away from his lips, "Just open your eyes already." When he did, she gently placed her mouth on his in a short, slow kiss, lingering near him after they separated.

"Delly." He laughed, he had actually forgotten that she was still on the plane when it took off. "What was that for?' She shrugged and gave him another peck. He focused on the little details of her face, all the freckles that were scattered across her nose… SHe hated them, but they were his favorite part of her. "No reason? Okay."

So, as they began their 2 hour long flight, Peeta was drinking. It took a lot to get him drunk, so he was fine but it still surprised him. This last year, he'd been trying to stay mostly sober. He always declined going out. Well, maybe not _always_. There were times. And when he did go out, he got so blackout drunk that he couldn't remember a single thing from the night before. Then there were other times, when he wasn't partying, when it got too much for him. Delly wasn't so much opposed of him drinking, but she didn't really like it. He tried. He really did. It was his first real relationship since Katniss and he didn't plan on screwing it up. Delly was sweet, and kind, and beautiful. Everything he should want. But it didn't stop him from thinking of _her_ all the time. Sometimes, when he really thought about it, he considered himself cruel for dating her. It was kind of obvious that he wasn't over _her_. He still was very much enamoured with her, even if she didn't even like him anymore. Delly was different. Delly was a fresh start. Delly gave him hope that he could get that life he'd always wanted. Even if it wasn't with the girl he'd always pictured.

Then, time flew by and they were preparing to land on Mr. Cartwright's large ship. He was weary as he climbed down the steps and into the landing platform. Half because he wasn't the best swimmer and half because of all the armed body-guards stationed at the exits/entrances of the yacht. If that didn't scream, 'Get the hell out of here!' he didn't know what did. So, unnerved, he boarded Cartwright's ship. And a deep part of him knew he'd regret it. He was comforted by the fact that he had 3 guns on him, so that was welcoming. Darius assured him that it was just for his protection, but Peeta couldn't think of what he could be protecting himself from.

As soon as the door shut and locked behind them, Darius turned on to the four agents, "Okay, first things first, there is no bomb to recover."

"What?" Gale growled.

"Well, it's worse than that."

"Worse in what way?" Peeta asked.

"Worse as in it's a bomb _threat_." He huffed, obviously stressed.

"Who's making this threat? Bermuda?" Johanna quipped, making the tension in the air dissipate just a bit.

"No. No. It's my underground sea lab. I built it for the National Marine Organization to monitor the sa life off the coast of Bermuda. And All was going smoothly until..." he hesitated, glancing Delly's way. "all of my money ran out."

She was on him immediately, "What? Darius, how could you?! You had $500,000,000 to your name! What in god's name could you spend it all on?" She was hitting his sides, and yelling.

"I'm sorry!" He responded, sounding deflated, "I was just trying to help all these people and befor I knew it, it was all gone. This lab below us alone costed $200,000,000!"

Katniss's eyes widened, "How is that even possible?"

"Well, apparently they brought a ton of nerve gas missiles and hid it from me in the budget."

"Well, what do you expect us to do about it?"

"Pretend to be a news crew?" He asked apprehensively.

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><p>It was obvious that Katniss felt out of place. He watched her, in a deep maroon skintight dress, heels, and a trench coat, and hair out and flowing down her back, try to get into a submarine. "Looking good!" Gale catcalled and she growled.<p>

"Fuck you!" Peeta rolled his eyes. The guy should've known better. That was probably the most idiotic thing he's ever said to her. "I still don't understand why Jo couldn't be the on screen personality."

"Have you seen my haircut?" She called down to the girl on the ladder. Johanna had a point, it was sharp, short, and spiky. Nothing like a news caster.

"Did I have to wear the heels though?" She complained.

"Yes! Catnip it sells the whole thing." He joked and Peeta could only imagine the look that she shot down at him.

"Stop it, you douchebag!" She yelled.

"What the hell is your problem?" He fired back, agitated with her mood. Johanna just laughed as she began her descent into the sub. The bickering continued as he joined them under the waves.

"What's _my_ problem?" she screeched, more than annoyed by now. "_My_ problem is how you never leave me alone! _My_ problem is how angry you are every hour of every day! _My_ problem is how you think you have some sort of entitlement over me! It's exhausting Hawthorne!" She walked toward him and accentuates every word with a jab of her finger to his chest. "Why can't you just get through that thick skull of yours that I don't want, nor will I _ever_ date you!" She screamed, stomped to the passenger seat, and plopped down, leaving him behind her and shocked. Everyone was silent and kept their mouths shut as they slid the hatch closed and he got in the pilot's seat. Gale glared at the back of Katniss and Peeta's head the majority of the ride down. It was only when she got seasick that he softened and looked away.

Peeta was getting worried and his eyes glanced at her briefly, "Are you okay?" he asked softly so only she was able to hear.

She cradled her forehead, eyes closed and slowly nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just nauseous."

"Are you sick or something?"

"No, no. It's just… I ate something." God she was the worst liar.

"Katniss…" He sighed. "Really, what is it?" She remained silent and looked away from him. Damn. So, he decided to ignore it. It wasn't his business anyway. He addressed the whole group when he said, "Okay guys, everyone got their covers?

Jo was the first to speak up, "Yup! Jessica Samerson, director with a smokin' hot bod and no boundaries!" she quipped and posed.

Gale grunted, "Greg Mann, sound guy." he drawled.

"And I am the cameraman, Ron Wolowitz."

Katniss cleared her throat, "Daliah Winters, on screen personality."

"Perfect." He stated and smiled at them. "So, we should be docking soon, who has any ideas for a plan." Everyone was silent.

"I've hidden a gun in my boom mic pole. Maybe that will come in handy." Gale said and shrugged his shoulders.

Then an idea came to Johanna, "Okay, so we corner the Captain with the bomb and hold him at gunpoint. Force him to dismantle it."

"Sounds like a plan."

The man was weird. He directly escorted them to the main pod, which overlooked the reef. His dark hair was black and shiny, the -what he assumes were- once straight strands, were unruly and falling into his eyes. He introduced himself, "I'm Captain Crane." and they began his 'interview'.

"You know I think filming near the bomb will give the piece a more... threatening flourish." Johanna remarked, as seriously as she could.

"No. I already have everything set up in here." Well, he was stubborn.

"But, sir, the people will want proof that you have the bomb." Johanna persisted.

Katniss's eyes widened as she looked at Seneca's face, "He doesn't have a bomb." and all of them took her word for it. She was their human lie-detector. They all joked about it. How she could always tell when they weren't truth. He always teased her about how that was why she couldn't lie for the life of her.

"What?" He asked, pretending to be offended. "Why in the world would you think that?"

"Your eye twitched." She stated matter-of-factly. That's when he snapped.

He pulled out a knife and wrapped his forearm around Katniss's neck, effectively holding her in place. Then he placed the blade against her throat. Gale reacted swiftly, unholstering his gun and pointing it directly at Seneca's head. The man's eyes widened, "Are you insane?!" he yelled, "Do you know what kind of pressure we're under? Any kind of damage done to the outer walls and this entire facility will collapse!"

Katniss looked his way and locks eyes with him, "Peeta." she squeaked through Crane's hold. She sounded terrified, more so than he'd usually suspect she would. That's when he intervened. He got between the gun and Crane. He pleaded, "Hawthorne, put the gun down, he's right." Gale hesitates, but knows it's for the best. Then he turns on the Captain. "Sir, I know this must be hard for you, but I think you're having a psychotic break. How long have you lived down here alone?" He asks softly.

"A few years. Everyone else left after the money stopped coming." He laughed sourly, "They didn't understand!" He yelled and Katniss flinched. By now, the blade had cut through some of her skin. "I wasn't just here for the pay!"

Katniss had a fear in her eyes he'd never seen before, "Just- just put the girl down, she didn't do anything to you. Please."

"She ruined it! I was going to save us!" He screamed, "Daliah, I must say you really put yourself in a tight spot." his hushed voice said into her ear.

It wasn't until her repositioned her that she was able to get a hit in. She elbowed him in the ribs and scrambled away, tears pouring out of her eyes. She stood again and ran into Peeta's arms, kicking off you shoes in the process.

That's when the shot went off.

Blood trickled down Crane's leg and he fell to the floor, unable to chase after her. But behind him was the real problem. On the glass spread a web of cracks, breaking by the second, before the entire wall imploded and the room was overtaken by a wave of ice-cold seawater.

They clung to each other like a lifeline and when they surfaced, she didn't let go. He spotted something behind her head and went to tell her when he saw Katniss's face. Her eyes were red and she looked at him, so distraught, "I-I'm so sor-sorry!" she sobbed, and she buried her face in his neck. "I need to say this before we die." She continued but he stopped her.

"We're not going to die." He assured her and swam toward the hatch on the wall. "Don't worry," he shushed her as he placed his hand on her cheek, "I'm going to get you out of here. Okay? It's going to be okay." she quieted a bit and leaned into his touch.

But soon she remembered, after being distracted momentarily by his comfort, "No! No. That's not it. I-I'm-" But then Jo and Gale came up behind him and she stopped.

"You're what?" He asked but she shook her head and he went back to the task at hand. "Alright, Hawthorne, I need you to help me open this-"

"Help!" Another voice called. It was desperate.

"Crane's alive?" Johanna laughed and went to his aid.

So, they began to twist the circular wheel, grunting in exertion. And after a few moments of silence and fear, it opened. One by one they went down the small hole into the next pod.

Her heart pounded in anticipation, waiting at the bottom, for him. Waiting for him to close the hatch. When he slid down but the water kept coming, she knew something went wrong. "What happened?"

"The hatch got stuck, we need to move now the water's rising." Then, the overhead speakers buzzed to life, "_This is an automated message. Pods 2, 3, 4, and 5 have all been flooded. Evacuate immediately."_

At this Johanna freaked, she turned on Crane, "How do we get out of here? You said the emergency sub was at the other end, in pod 6, so how do we get there?!" She yelled in his face.

"You have to use the scuba gear, it's in the cabinet behind you."

She scurried away and quickly ripped it open, inside were 3 pristine suits and their supplies. "There's only three!" she yelled frantically.

And that's when Katniss broke, she grabbed Peeta's arm and yelled, "I'm pregnant!"

First, there was shock. _Nothing had prepared him for this. _

And disbelief. _It wasn't possible._

But then, happiness. _It was a miracle._

"Katniss! That's great!" He smiled.

And finally, hurt. _But it wasn't his miracle._

He breathed in and out carefully before composing himself, and giving her another small grin. "How is this possible?" He asked.

She shook her head at a loss of words. "I don't know." She sighed giving him a long hard look. Before he lost the courage he gave her a tight hug, wishing it could express everything he was feeling.

Crane continued, ignoring the moment, "One of you will have to die," everyone gasped, "temporarily." and the air was mutually let out.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there's a defibrillator on the sub, fastest swimmer, it takes under 2 minutes."

Peeta had decided. So he gave a suit to each of his friends, Hawthorne included. "It's going to be me." He told Katniss. She nodded solemn, but didn't insist on something different, knowing that even _he_ could be stubborn sometimes. Just before she put the helmet on he whispered, his final words into her ear. "I still love you."

And he welcomed the darkness, letting the freezing water into his lungs.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the cliffhanger! I just had the chance and I took it!<strong>

**So, tell me if this permits any questions. It's a lot like an episode of Archer so I'm not 100% certain how it came across just in writing.**

**So, yes Peeta and Delly are dating. It sucks, I know, but I plan on making it a reason for Katniss to not be truthful, under the impression that she's doing the right thing for Peeta. So, it has a purpose.**

**And just to be clear- Darius is not evil. Just a tad mistaken on a few things. And he does no crime other than being not honest with those he loves (i.e. Delly).**

**Also, Seneca Crane is DEAD. Just an FYI. He was bleeding out and there were only 3 suits so yeah… D.E.A.D.**

**YES, I WILL BE UPDATING IT'S A SECRET SOON. So, be on the lookout.**

**And, please, tell me what you guys think through reviews, I love to hear from people.**

**Follow, favorite, and review.**

**-RC**


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